Darlington Hippodrome – until 5 November 2022
4****
Darlington Operatic return to the stage with the family friendly Shrek
If you don’t know the story of Shrek the green ogre, then maybe you too live in a swamp. But if you did miss the show or any of the films then here’s a quick recap. After the fairy tale folk of Dulac get evicted to his swamp; Shrek, aided and hindered by Donkey, head off to rescue a princess from her dragon-guarded tower in order to hand her over to the short-statured Lord Farquaad, so he will hand over the deeds to Shrek’s beloved swamp. Lord Farquaad wants to marry the princess so he can become a King.
There is something for everyone in this show. The young ones can be captivated by the fairy tale and with its pantomime-esque innuendo’s for the adults, its proper family entertainment. There are a lot of fart jokes and a burping contest that would put many teenagers to shame.
The joy of the show is that with the longer time allowed you can actually see into the backgrounds of the characters. Both Shrek and Fiona were banished from home at the age of 7. They might sing it’s a ‘Big Bright Beautiful World’ but the lyrics of ‘Who I’d Be’ are heartbreaking and tender and portray the true feelings of what an Ogre would like to be.
Nicholas Fletcher-Holmes recreates the tartan trousered Ogre who your heart goes out to at the idea of him losing his love. Ben Connor captures the magic of Donkey and Ellen Dunbavin is a spirited, but kind Fiona.
And in what other show would you find tap dancing rats? Showgirl blind mice? And a whole host of others letting their Freak Flag fly. There are many coded references to other shows, and other fairy tales are the butt of many of the jokes.
There are two stand out performances in this show. Leighton Taylor-Jones as Lord Farquaad. How his knees will survive is not clear. Playing him as a camp Richard III type in yellow tights, he almost steals the show. Managing to high kick his tiny legs, over compensating for the fact his dad was a grumpy diamond miner who abandoned him in the forest to fend for himself.
The other star of the show is Dragon, which has a War Horse feel of puppetry about it, as you don’t notice the puppeteers. Rhiannon Walker who voices Dragon provides the vocals, with a voice of pure smokin’ fire.
This show has it all, a once upon a time and a happy ever after. Full of singing, dancing, nonsense and strangely believable characters it’s a show the entire family can enjoy from baby through to granny. Give the kids and yourself a half term treat and bring them to the Hippodrome for two and a half hours of good solid family fun.